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thread of black composers and some of their works for violin
joseph bologne, chevalier de saint-georges — classical composer and violinist. fun fact: saint-georges was actually a champion fencer (see the sword in his photo) and was said to have been, by 17, & #39;already beating the best swordsmen& #39; and having the & #39;greatest speed imaginable.& #39;
solo violin works of saint-georges i recommend — 1) violin concerto in c major, op. 5 no. 1 (1775). this is one of 14 of his violin concertos! while you should def listen to the whole thing, the third movement is my favorite: https://open.spotify.com/track/6H6jRBC2LnZexBXSqyH595?si=oNSaKdKnTGegEB4wwVVoJA">https://open.spotify.com/track/6H6...
2) sonata for 2 violins no 3 in a major (c. 1770). this is such a pretty piece!! unfortunately, no recordings of this work exist, but augustin hadelich recently uploaded a performance of him playing both parts during covid lockdown: https://youtu.be/VLOSpuFyOZc ">https://youtu.be/VLOSpuFyO...
3) violin concerto no.2, op. 11 in g major (1777) i really like this piece (i& #39;m sorry idk how to talk abt music intellectually)!! i recommend all mvts, but here& #39;s the 2nd one: (also btw, the cataloging on this recording is outdated) https://open.spotify.com/track/6VBxc9qispWFuC1Fh1H8ky">https://open.spotify.com/track/6VB...
read more about him: https://colourofmusic.org/about-le-chevalier-de-saint-georges/">https://colourofmusic.org/about-le-... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/arts/music/black-mozart-joseph-boulogne.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/2...
josé silvestre white lafitte (more commonly known as joseph white) — romantic composer and violinist. fun fact: he was the first black soloist (of any instrument) to perform with the new york philharmonic, done so during his 1875-76 tour of the americas.
violin works of white i recommend — 1) violin concerto in f sharp minor. this one is very virtuosic, yet still really enjoyable to listen to! my favorite is the 3rd movement: https://open.spotify.com/track/5geV4vO2GZ6AE8XPImYAHZ">https://open.spotify.com/track/5ge...
also, if you& #39;re interested in learning more about this piece, joyce kwak talks about it and shares her process for learning this concerto: https://youtu.be/Pkm5HKJFjHU ">https://youtu.be/Pkm5HKJFj...
2) etude no. 6 for solo violin, op. 13. this is one of his 6 etudes for solo violin! rachel barton pine described it as a & #39;danzón with a pyrotechnic central section much in the virtuoso parisian style of the time.& #39; see her recording of it: https://open.spotify.com/track/3yQmjLCqol4OSb3JgKKsrN">https://open.spotify.com/track/3yQ...
3) la bella cubana. this is white& #39;s most famous work, and is a habanera for 2 violins and orchestra. also, it& #39;s not something i& #39;d usually listen to, but regardless i still really like it!! here& #39;s a recording of it for 2 violins and piano: https://youtu.be/d2k0E6wh2Yw ">https://youtu.be/d2k0E6wh2...
read more about him: https://thestrad.com/artists/an-introduction-to-joseph-white-and-his-six-etudes/7922.article">https://thestrad.com/artists/a... https://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/White.html ">https://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/White.htm...
samuel coleridge-taylor — romantic violinist and comopser. fun fact: coleridge-taylor came to the attention of elgar in 1898, and allowed for his ballade in a minor for orchestra to be premiered at the three choirs festival, coleridge-taylor conducting.
solo violin works of coleridge-taylor i recommend — 1) romance in g major for violin and orchestra, op. 39. this is just so pretty!! it& #39;s probably my favorite piece out of all of the ones in this thread. https://open.spotify.com/track/4fSZK40jtIy6lMI62SyBm7">https://open.spotify.com/track/4fS...
2) violin concerto in g minor, op. 80. i def recommend listening to this one! while it& #39;s not so commonly known, it& #39;s a really nice piece. my favorite is the 1st movement: https://open.spotify.com/track/5fT1dDmidcJ48mbBaeEsTn">https://open.spotify.com/track/5fT...
3) legende for violin and orchestra, op 14. this is just so beautiful!! https://open.spotify.com/track/1gug8P3y3B7B6cORihcoSH?si=VTctJob4TPycwN1Y7Hop8Q">https://open.spotify.com/track/1gu...
read more about him: https://100greatblackbritons.com/bios/samuel_coleridge-taylor.htmlmore">https://100greatblackbritons.com/bios/samu... https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/samuel-coleridge-taylor-and-the-musical-fight-for-civil-rights/JwLitwiLW6SGIw">https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/s...
